Abstract
Green Pit Vipers are a widely distributed, diverse group of snakes which occur across a variety of habitats. Little is known about their natural history in anthropogenically modified environments, and no ecological work has investigated their persistence in cities. We non-invasively photo-monitored White-lipped Green Pit Vipers Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) albolabris in the metropolis of Bangkok, Thailand (n = 4 individuals, mean = 2,658 minutes per individual). Subsequently, we preliminarily characterize urban green pit vipers as nocturnal predators, displaying ambush-foraging at night, sheltering during the day, and having limited movement in between temporal periods. We recorded two predation events of vipers capturing and ingesting anuran prey. Vipers infrequently displayed tail undulations (239 minutes total), with one event occurring immediately before a predation event. We also document chemosensory, probing, and mouth-gaping behaviors having occurred exclusively at night. Other vertebrates including birds, frogs, geckos, small mammals, and a cobra were photographed interacting with focal vipers or their immediate surroundings (315 minutes total). Knowledge of organisms in tropical urban environments is scarce, and the persistence of venomous snakes in these unique and challenging habitats requires further study.
Highlights
White-lipped Green Pit Vipers (Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) albolabris) are a widely distributed arboreal pit viper belonging to the genus Trimeresurus, which is comprised of over 40 species inhabiting various regions in Asia (Uetz & Hallermann 2015)
Work has largely focused on the habitat use, basic biology, and spatial ecology of radio telemetered Big-eyed and White-lipped Green Pit Vipers in rural or forested habitats (Devan-Song et al 2016, 2017; Barnes et al 2017; Strine et al 2018)
Ambush behavior was most frequently observed at night (18.00–06.00 h), sheltering during the day, and movement occurring irregularly during both times (Fig. 1)
Summary
White-lipped Green Pit Vipers (Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) albolabris) are a widely distributed arboreal pit viper belonging to the genus Trimeresurus, which is comprised of over 40 species inhabiting various regions in Asia (Uetz & Hallermann 2015). Work has largely focused on the habitat use, basic biology, and spatial ecology of radio telemetered Big-eyed and White-lipped Green Pit Vipers in rural or forested habitats (Devan-Song et al 2016, 2017; Barnes et al 2017; Strine et al 2018). These studies, did not report data on the predatory behavior or interspecific interactions of White-lipped Green Pit Vipers in highly urbanized study sites. We provide observations of syntopic organisms that were accidently photographed while vipers were present (or within 12 hours of abandoning sites) within this highly disturbed landscape
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
